Seoul -- Day 3 -- Seoul Searching!

Over breakfast, I met Matthias (Germany) and we decided to explore parts of the city together. He is a painter and has been living in Hanoi for the past three years. It was nice meeting him, since I was able to practice my rusty German. We reached Seoul Station subway and tackled the "Namsan and Seoul Tower Walk" recommended by Lonely Planet. The directions were excellent and we were able to easily reach Seoul Tower. The entire walk was steep and uphill all the way. Unfortunately, the polluted air and the hot weather made the walk all the more strenuous. There was very little breeze and each step made for labored breathing. Along the way, we saw various statues of Korean heroes and a weird mini zoo. I haven't seen a more pathetic zoo in my life. Sad.

After reaching almost half-way up the 480 meter ascent, we decided to take the cable car instead to the peak (5,000 won round trip). Under better weather conditions, we'd have gladly climbed the stairs. We arrived at the peak, where there are a television tower, gift shops and an observation deck. There is a museum for special exhibits as well. You do get a panoramic view of the city, but the smog made the use of the observation deck useless. We stopped for lunch half-way up the peak and had a so-so bibimbap. On the whole, a walk I could've done without.

There was still plenty of sunlight and we decided to check out Namhansanseong (South Han Mountain Fortress) and the adjoining provincial park. From the description, it sounded really interesting. It is located 25 km southeast of Seoul and reachable by subway Line 8 to Namhansanseong station. Its history dates back to 672 AD, when it protected Korea from the Chinese. From Seoul Station it took us almost an hour to reach our destination, having to change 3 times. The directions said we could take any bus in the direction of the fortress. So we took a local small bus and were way off course. We lost valuable time and by the time we reached the entrance to the park on foot, it was getting dark. The park itself is beautiful and has an old-worldly charm to it. Plenty of active Koreans in matched fitness clothing were returning from their hike. If I were to live in Seoul, I would visit this park as often as I could.

Just for kicks, we tried reflexology or zone therapy. Normally you go to a reflexologist, who rubs the soles of your feet in specific patterns. But here, in the park, you simulate that by walking on stones laid in specific patterns. Some stones are sharp, while some are round. I walked barefoot on the stones for a couple of minutes, but couldn't bear it. Somehow, it felt different (relaxing? I can't say).

For my part, I wish we had arrived at the park in time, because everyone we talked to had enjoyed the hike immensely. We aborted our hike and took the subway back to the guest house, because I had to meet Mrs. Kim at 8.00 pm. In the meanwhile, we stopped for excellent pastries and coffee (it's not easy to find a coffee shop in Seoul). I met with Mrs. Kim and made arrangements for a guided tour to the DMZ the following day. After a brief rest, Matthias and I dined at a local restaurant (samgyeopsal with pork). The food was excellent and it cost 12,000 won. What we realized was that local restaurants carry only one kind of meat, beef, pork or chicken. If you can't read or understand Korean, all you can hope for is that you recognize the food by the pictures on display. You place the order in whatever language you can English, German or French or Japanese and pray that they understand what you wanted. It doesn't matter really, because it's an adventure anyway. Well, if you want a wider choice and an English menu, go to a more expensive restaurant. This time around, Matthias was the one inducted into the strange world of soju. Yeah!

Back in the guest house, we met Charles (Singapore) and a new guy, Greg (Australia). We drank more beer and soju and had to call it an early night, because of my trip to DMZ the next day. Incidentally, I had to borrow Matthias' alarm clock; I had none, and I had to wake up early. Vielen Dank Matthias!